--Embargoed:
For Release on or after Dec. 18, 2000--
SELECTIVE
SERVICE MAKES REPORTING A CHANGE OF ADDRESS EASIER FOR MILLIONS
OF YOUNG MEN.
Arlington,
Va.-- The Selective Service System has added a change
of address page to its Web site that will allow young men
to update their registration information on-line. Federal
law requires that young men, ages 18 through 25, notify Selective
Service within 10 days of an address change. The addition
of the new Web page will make fulfillment of this legal requirement
easier and more convenient.
"This
initiative corresponds to the Agency's vision of increased
customer service," said the Honorable Gil Coronado, Director
of Selective Service, who first initiated on-line registration
on Dec. 2, 1998. "For two decades, men could only go to the
post office to obtain a Selective Service Change of Address
Form; this new web page will make the process more convenient
for men who have Internet access." It is also expected to
reduce the Agency's printing and processing costs, while saving
young men the cost of first class postage to mail the change
of address form.
Any
man who is registered and was born after 1959 can update his
address information by connecting to the Selective Service
Web site at www.sss.gov. He clicks on a link to the "change
of address" page, types his new information, clicks the Submit
button, and he is done. He can also check a box if he wants
to receive an updated acknowledgment card by conventional
mail.
Federal
law requires virtually all men to register with Selective
Service within 30 days of turning 18. Each year, about 1.8
million men turn 18. All U.S. male citizens, no matter where
they reside, as well as male noncitizens residing in the U.S.,
are required to register. Although late registrations are
accepted, a man cannot register once he reaches age 26. Failure
to register is a felony. Moreover, Selective Service registration
is linked to many benefits such as eligibility for federal
student loans and grants, training programs under the Workforce
Investment Act (WIA), federal jobs in the Executive Branch
of the U.S. Government, and jobs with the U.S. Postal Service.
More than half of the states have enacted legislation that
links benefits such as state tuition assistance and eligibility
for state jobs to registration. Also, Delaware and Oklahoma
have legislation which connects Selective Service registration
with a man's application for a driver's license. Additionally,
male immigrants who are in the U.S. when they are 18 through
25 years old may be denied U.S. citizenship if they fail to
register.
Although
the U.S. relies on an all-volunteer military today, the Selective
Service System and the registration program help America remain
prepared to reinstate a timely and fair draft in a future
crisis, should a draft become necessary.
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